


sanctuaries

by cpiel



Series: your wish is my strong recommendation [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-15 22:51:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7242013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cpiel/pseuds/cpiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>deacon first meets nora in the co-ed dorms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	sanctuaries

**Author's Note:**

> ohhhh man the college au (hey at least i finished this one)  
> i'm sorry i know it's generic but i kinda love it so  
> i rlly love deacon let me romance him @bethesda!!! 
> 
> i used the generic sole survivor "nora"  
> lowercase is intentional. if this makes this difficult to read, let me know and i will change it!  
> enjoy, and feel free to leave feedback.

**** deacon first meets nora in the co-ed dorms. 

 

he walks through the door, expecting to find glory. in retrospect, he should’ve called first. instead, he finds nora, in a ratty, paint stained t-shirt and a pair of shorts. she turns to him with a wide eyed stare. 

 

“you...are not glory.” this elicits a laugh from her. 

 

“yeah, i’m not. i’m nora. would you mind giving me your name?”

 

“deacon,” he says, extending a hand. she takes it. her hands are pleasantly warm. his have always been cold. 

 

“nice to meet you, deacon. did you need glory? she’ll be back in a few minutes. if you want to stay, feel free to. i promise i don’t bite,” nora states, turning back to her artwork. deacon sits on glory’s bed, watching her paint. he admires the seemingly effortless way she creates depth on her canvas. she breathes life into the work, and deacon finds it breathtaking. 

 

“you paint well.” nice one, deacon. real smooth. 

 

“thanks, i guess? i’ve practiced for years. figured i needed to get good if i wanted to make a career of it.” 

 

thankfully, glory arrives soon after, saving deacon from his own mouth. glory pulls deacon off of her bed. 

 

“come on, asshole. we need to get to dez before she skins us,” she scolds. deacon holds up his hands in surrender. glory scoffs and rolls her eyes with a smile, and pulls him out of the room. 

 

“bye, nora! i’ll text you when i’m on the way home,” glory yells. 

 

“ok, sounds good! feel free to come back anytime, deacon!” comes nora’s response. he grins. glory gives him a look.

 

“what?” 

 

“she just broke up with her boyfriend. she’s also one of my best friends. i’ll kick your ass.”  deacon feigns hurt. 

  
  


“why would i ever want to get with someone like her? sure, she seems kind and smart and funny, and she is beautiful, but you know i never look for those things in a woman,” he jokes.

 

“i’m serious! maybe just give it some time, ok? ugh, i don’t like to think about you with anyone,” glory groans. deacon laughs.

 

“come on, drop it for now. we need to help dez with her project. we promised.”

 

deacon gets into the car with glory. he can’t stop thinking about nora, and he scolds himself for it.  _ she just got out of a relationship, and you just met her,  _ he thinks.  _ let it go. _

he should know better. 

  
  


a week later, he’s waiting in glory’s room again, nora still working on her painting. 

“are you allowed to tell me what you’re painting?” he asks. 

 

“are you allowed to tell me why you always wear those sunglasses?” she countered. 

 

“fair point, i guess.”

 

“it’s just a landscape of my childhood home. ‘sanctuary’. my grandparents moved there in like, the 50s, and handed it down to my parents.” 

 

“oh. it looks really good. seriously, i don’t just hand out compliments,” deacon remarks. he stands up, walking over to where she’s working. he stands by her shoulder, giving her enough room to move. he notices a slight flush on her cheeks. 

 

“sorry, is this too close?” he asks. she shakes her head. 

 

“no, you’re fine.” 

 

she moves suddenly, getting paint on his arm. she looks at him, shocked. 

 

“oh my god, i’m so-” she starts, but deacon takes a bit of blue off the pallette and rubs it on her nose. she laughs. 

 

“it’s called karma, sweetheart,” he teases. she takes red and wipes some on his white shirt, and it soon becomes a full on war. glory walks in, sighs heavily, and immediately turns around and walks out, sending nora and deacon into further fits of laughter. he notices how pretty she is when she laughs. 

 

“i should go talk to her. we’re still helping dez, y’know. i had a good time. we should hang out more often,” he says, nudging her with his elbow. 

 

“i’d like that,” she responds, beaming at him. “i’ll talk to you later.”

 

deacon walks out with a full on grin. 

  
  


somehow, he manages to see her that night. she’s sitting alone at the bakery, reading. she’s got on a pretty sundress, one that flatters her figure. he walks over and taps the table. she looks annoyed for a brief moment, but she sees him and her face lights up. 

 

“deacon! hey,” she says, placing her book down. 

 

“hey. what are you doing here? not that you don’t have a right to be or anything.”  she deflates a little.

 

“i thought i was supposed to be on a date. i texted him the details 20 different times, probably, and it’s been 2 hours. he hasn’t shown, hasn’t said he can’t make it. nothing.” he notices her sniffle. she wipes under her eyes, trying to hold back tears. 

 

“fuck. i’m sorry. he’s an asshole. nobody in their right mind would stand up a girl like you,” he informs her. she smiles, but it doesn’t seem to get to her eyes. 

 

“thank you, deacon.” he likes the way his name sounds coming from her.

 

“no problem, sweetheart. how about i walk you home, huh?” he offers his arm, and she takes it. the walk home is incredibly pleasant. he swears it’s one of the prettiest sunsets he’s seen. she tells him all about her home and her school and he doesn’t ever want her to stop. 

 

“thank you again, really. you didn’t have to do this,” she says as they reach her door. 

“it’s really no problem, nora. i enjoyed my time with you.” he scratches the back of his neck, praying his glasses hide his redness. she kisses him on the cheek. 

 

“goodnight.” 

he punches the air after he makes sure the door is closed.

  
  


he goes a few weeks before he sees nora again at a party. it isn’t a big one- dez is hosting, and she likes to keep things mellow. as soon as he spots her, his eyes go wide. she’s talking to glory in a form fitting red dress that reflects the light nicely. she sees him and smiles, waving him over. 

 

“hey! it’s been a while,” she remarks, giving him a hug. he’s never noticed how short she is. she’s standing on her tiptoes in order for her to get her arms around his neck. he gives a nod to glory, who gives him a knowing smirk before leaving to talk to other friends.

 

“i know. things have calmed down with my workload, so i should be able to visit more often. you look great, by the way.” she blushes.

 

“thank you. do you want a drink?” she asks. he nods at her, and follows her to the kitchen. she grabs him a beer. 

 

“so, how have you been?” he inquires, taking a sip. 

 

“good enough. kinda tired. a little lonely,” she answers. “how’re you?” 

 

“i’m ok. why do you feel lonely? you miss me that much?” he jokes, but he’s filled with worry. 

 

“i just...it’s been a while since i broke up with nate. after that guy stood me up i haven’t really felt good enough to get out there.”  _ i can remedy that,  _ he thinks.

 

“trust me, sweetheart, none of the guys here deserve you. i’m sure of it,” he says, gently lifting up her head. “in the time that i’ve known you, you’ve been so funny and kind. you’re incredibly talented, and you’re gorgeous. if they don’t want you, they’re missing out. c’mon, lets go sit upstairs on the deck. it’s a lot more comfortable than the counter.” he offers a hand, and she hops down.

 

the air is, thankfully, cool compared to the previous hot summer nights. nora sits on the bench next to him. deacon has one arm draped over the back as she leans into his side. 

 

“thank you. it seems like you’re comforting me a lot recently. i…really appreciate it.”

 

he chuckles softly. “that’s what i’m here for.”

 

“will you go on a date with me?” she asks. 

 

“are you drunk?” he shoots back, raising an eyebrow.

 

“nope. sober, for the most part. yes or no?”

 

“yeah. yeah, definitely.” she grins up at him, and gently kisses him.

he meets her outside the dorm two days later. he can’t help but smile when he sees her, looking radiant. he offers his arm, and she accepts it. 

 

“so, where are we headed?” she asks, nudging him in the side. he shakes his head. 

 

“it’s a surprise, sweetheart. you’ll just have to see when we get there.” she groans.

 

“please? a hint? something?” she begs. 

 

“i told you, you’ll have to wait! now, put on a helmet and get on.” he hands her a spare helmet, and pulls his on. 

 

“why do i need this?”

 

“because we’re riding this,” he says, gesturing to the motorcycle thats parked on the corner. she grins from ear to ear. 

 

“sweet.” he laughs and kisses her forehead. 

 

“c’mon, we’re gonna be late if you don’t hurry.” he gets on and feels her arms snake around his waist. 

 

“you ready?” he asks. she nods, and they pull off, glory watching from the sidewalk.

  
  


he can’t help but feel incredibly content as they ride through boston, the sun starting to set in the distance, her head on his back. though it’s hard to hear, she’ll occasioinally remark about the location or school. she makes him feel incredible, like he might have something good with her. 

  
  


weeks later, they’ve had a lot more dates. he feels on top of the world, a high he doesn’t want to come down from. nora is everything he could’ve ever asked for, and he doesn’t let her forget it. they’re laying in bed when he first says it.

 

“i love you,” he blurts. she tenses next to him.  _ fuck.  _ after what feels like an eternity she rolls on her side to face him. 

 

“i love you too,” she whispers, and kisses him and he swears he could live like this forever. 

  
  


2 years later from that day, deacon is shaking. he’s waiting in their apartment that they moved into after college. she’s doing incredibly well with her art, and it never ceases to amaze him. the weight of the box in his pocket feels like a ton. she walks through the door and he jumps up. 

 

“woah, you alright?” she inquires, concern seeping into her tone. 

 

“uhm. yeah. i’m fine. listen, will you come with me?” the worry on her face grows more apparent.

 

“sure.” he leads her downstairs, where glory and her parents and friends wait. her eyes go wide.

 

“deacon...what are you doing?”

 

“nora, i never thought i’d ever be able to find or deserve someone like you. you’ve stuck with me for, what, two years? that’s a long time to put up with me, more time than some other people in my life have. i never want to lose this. so,” he says, getting down on one knee, “will you marry me?” she’s shocked for a moment, but then grins.

 

“yes, yes, a million times yes,” she responds. he slides the ring onto her finger and she’s crying and he is too. everyone is cheering as he dips her into a kiss. 

  
  


later, after their wedding and their moving into a house, she gives him a gift. it’s large, flat, wrapped in blue paper. 

 

“what’s this for?” he asks.

 

“just open it.” he does. inside is the painting he first saw her working on, the perfect little houses with their fresh blue and yellow coats and the large maple trees growing in the back. it’s breathtaking, and he sits looking at it for a while. 

 

“what do you think?” she asks, tentatively.

 

“i love it,” he tells her, setting it to the side and pulling her into a hug. “it’s beautiful.” 

 

something in the back of his mind says they’ve been here before, across an eternity of lifetimes. he almost feels like he’s seen the houses before, before they met. she said the neighborhood was "sanctuary." it's funny, because she seems so much like his own sanctuary. they’re destined for each other.

 

he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  
  



End file.
